Stargazing
by DownToTheSea
Summary: Harry Potter AU. On a cold evening at Hogwarts, Headmistress Helen Magnus and Professor Nikola Tesla spend some time together watching the stars.


**A/N: Prompt - Harry Potter AU with Teslen as professors.**

* * *

"More tea, my dear?"

"Thank you, Nikola." Helen pointed her wand at the cup he passed her, a small burst of steam rising off the previously cold surface a moment later.

He grinned. "Show-off."

Helen grinned back. "If the Headmistress isn't allowed to show off, then who is?"

"Certainly not poor, put-upon professors." Nikola settled back in his chair – a comfortable, oversized armchair that Helen had Transfigured from a few stones that were crumbling from the Astronomy tower wall. She had made a mental note to have the tower damage repaired, but in the meantime the stones served her and Nikola's purpose quite well. It was just as well that she had arrived first; Nikola would probably have conjured them a loveseat.

At least one night a week, Helen and Nikola spent a few hours on the Astronomy tower, watching the stars and talking. The habit had begun years ago, when they were seventh-years studying for their Astronomy N.E.W.T.s together. When they both joined the teaching staff some time later, they had merely picked up where they had left off. Helen considered it one of the high points of her week – a few hours of relaxation and good conversation with her oldest friend. Not that she was likely to tell Nikola that any time soon.

Tonight was colder than the last few weeks had been. The first chill of winter had arrived after an unusually warm autumn, and Helen was glad she'd wrapped a thick cloak and scarf around herself before coming up. But the view was more than worth it, with bright stars twinkling at them in the night sky like diamonds embedded in black velvet.

Nikola took a sip of his wine, then let out a long, contented sigh. "Ahh, this is the life. You, me, a good vintage, the kiddies out of the way and tucked up all safe in their beds…" He looked at her sidelong, his mouth twitching. "What more could I want?"

Helen rolled her eyes. "Tucked up safe in their beds, hmm? Likely story, Nikola. I know you Ravenclaws."

"Well…" Nikola twirled his wand in his hand. "Ok, so maybe a few of them are locked in fierce debate about the theories of dragon language, but it's all your fault, really."

"And why is that?" Helen raised an eyebrow.

He leveled the wand at her. "Hey, _you_ were the one who decided my fifth-years' Care of Magical Creatures class needed a little extra spice. They've been obsessed with dragons ever since."

Helen laughed. "It was only a baby Welsh Green, Nikola. Ranna found it abandoned in the wild and it needed a safe place to stay until she could send it on to a reserve."

"And the teaching opportunity was too good to pass up?"

She shrugged. "How often does one like that come along?"

"You just wanted to spend time with it yourself," Nikola accused.

Helen lifted the cup to her lips, concealing her smile. "Possibly."

"Speaking of magical creatures that need care…"

"Yes?"

"I'm freezing," he whined, turning his head towards her with a pathetic look. "Come warm me up?"

"You know, if you made even the slightest attempt to dress for the weather, you might not be as cold," Helen pointed out, not moving. As usual, he had ditched his robes as soon as he was off-duty, and tonight had also foregone the jacket that went with his suit.

"And sacrifice my flair? Never." Nikola shuddered in mock horror. "Besides, I could be carting around a portable furnace and I'd still be cold. Kinda comes with the territory, you know."

Helen did know. "Be quiet, Nikola," she hissed.

"What, afraid I'm going to let the throng of students creeping around in the freezing dead of night know about my deep, dark secret?"

"I know of at least five students who used to creep around in the dead of night all the time," Helen said, a hint of a smile playing around the corners of her mouth despite the situation.

"Alright, fine," Nikola conceded, and gave her a dazzling smile. "Anything for you, my darling."

Nikola was frustratingly irresistible when he did that.

"Good," Helen said, only barely holding onto her stern tone. "Very good." She cleared her throat. "Now, I suppose you'll be complaining all night otherwise, so…" Getting up from her chair, Helen reached into the pockets of her robes. She had magically magnified the pockets, so it took her a few seconds to find what she was looking for.

Drawing out a spare cloak, she laid it over Nikola, who gave a happy sigh. Then she knelt next to him on the chair, nudging him aside slightly to make room for her, and wound a soft, green-and-silver scarf around his neck. She gave it a slight pat when she was done, but made no move to get up and go back to her chair.

"Ooh, putting me in your colors now, are we?" Nikola murmured. "How wonderfully possessive of you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Helen said. The brisk night air had already turned her cheeks quite pink, so she felt confident not even Nikola could detect any change now. "I can change it to blue for you, if you'd like."

"No," he said immediately. "This is fine."

Helen had had a sneaking suspicion it would be. "Very good then," she said, and turned so she could slip an arm around him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. Nikola tucked the cloak around them both, and Helen found herself thinking that perhaps the loveseat wasn't such a bad idea for next time. Only for practical reasons, of course. It was much warmer this way. She hugged Nikola a little closer.

They watched the stars for a while longer in silence, and Nikola refilled Helen's teacup again.

"Nikola," Helen said after a time. "Do you know Henry Foss? He's in Hufflepuff, third-year I believe."

"Mmm." Nikola put down his wine glass. "He's in my Arithmancy class. Quite brilliant, although he spends more time playing video games than he does studying."

"And you were so terribly concerned with schoolwork when we were students," Helen said dryly.

"Hmph," said Nikola, and tipped back his wine glass to finish it off. "Anyway, what about him?"

"This is in the strictest confidence, you understand," Helen said. For all his recklessness, Nikola had always kept her secrets safe. His own, on the other hand…

"What we were talking about earlier… Henry has, ah, a similar situation to yours."

Nikola looked surprised. "Really? I didn't think – "

"Not _exactly_ the same," Helen hastened to clarify. "Similar. Of a more… episodic nature."

Nikola blinked before comprehension dawned, and he lowered his voice. "Would these episodes happen to coincide with certain lunar events?"

"Precisely."

Sympathy crossed his face. "Poor kid. You know if anyone finds out – "

"I have it under control. No one who wants to learn will be denied entry, not as long as I have a say in the matter," Helen said, more fiercely than she had intended.

She looked over to find Nikola watching her with a strange expression.

"I would expect nothing less," he said softly. "What can I do?"

Helen leaned closer to Nikola again, her eyes fixed on an unblinking point of light in the sky. A planet, though Helen couldn't be sure which without a telescope.

"Talk to him," she said. "He's been having some difficulty lately, and I think he could use an understanding ear. He looks up to you, and I believe it might help."

"I thought you didn't want anyone to know what I am," he pointed out.

"I'm sure you can find a way to let him know you understand what he's going through without too many specifics. You _are_ a genius, after all," she added, a teasing note in her voice.

"That I am," Nikola said, preening a little.

"So will you do it?"

He sighed. "You know I can never say no to you, my dear. I'll do what I can, although I'm not promising anything good will come of it."

"Thank you, Nikola." Helen smiled. "And I have faith in you."

Nikola's response was to turn his head and press his lips to her forehead.

"It's getting awfully late," he said, a mischievous smirk appearing. "Shouldn't we be in bed?"

"Soon," Helen said, turning back to the stars. "But let's stay out here for a little while longer."


End file.
